Van Johnson

First name Dale, he was killed in a race just five weeks after winning his first Champ Car race at Langhorne. Johnson died when Joe Barzda's car suffered a mechanical failure, pitching it into Van's car with fatal results. Johnson was, at death, living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, working as a mechanic for Ed Lowther, who owned many sprint cars. Johnson also raced the cars across the Eastern and Midwest circuits, winning many events. Johnson also lived in Anaheim, California, for a while. He was married to Sandy, who later married another racer, Jackie McLaughlin, but tragically for her, McLaughlin was also killed in a stock car race in 1964.